Urban density

Urban density is a term used in urban planning and urban design to refer to the number of people inhabiting a given urbanized area. As such it is to be distinguished from other measures of population density. Urban density is considered an important factor in understanding how cities function. Research related to urban density occurs across diverse areas, including economics, health, innovation, psychology and geography as well as sustainability.

However, the link between urban density and aspects of sustainability remains a contested area of planning theory[citation needed].[1] Many[who?] experts on sustainable urbanism, including prominent urban designer Jan Gehl, argue that low-density, dispersed cities are unsustainable as they are automobile dependent. A minority, such as Randy O'Toole of the Cato Institute, counter that raising densities results in more expensive real estate, greater road congestion and more localized air pollution. Others counter that traffic congestion is a result not of population density but of parking capacity.[2] At a broader level, there is evidence to indicate a strong negative correlation between the total energy consumption of a city and its overall urban density, i.e. the lower the density, the more energy consumed.[3]

Gross density - any density figure for a given area of land that includes uses not necessarily directly relevant to the figure (usually roads and other transport infrastructure)

Net density - a density figure for a given area of land that excludes land not directly related to the figure.

Weighted density - a density metric which measures the density at which the average citizen lives. It is determined by calculating the standard density of each census tract, assigning each a weight equal to its share of the total population, and then adding the segments.

^Jacobsen, Shaun (2014-01-14). "More density does not equal more [car] traffic". Transitized. ...tall buildings don’t create traffic. Cars create traffic. If we want less [automobile] traffic on the streets, we need to build less capacity for them, including parking.